LANSDOWNE SCHOOL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 February 1942, Page 2

LANSDOWNE SCHOOL

TAKING FOR HOSPITAL OPPOSED EXCEPT IN CASE OF MAJOR EMERGENCY. INDIGNATION MEETING BEING CALLED. A public meeting of residents and parents of the Lansdowne school area is to be held at the school next Tuesday evening to protest against the taking over of the Lansdowne School as an emergency hospital for other than an emergency caused by enemy action. The decision to take this action was made at a special meeting of the Lansdowne School Committee, held last night. The two local members of the Wellington Education Board, Messrs W. R. Nicol and J. D. O’Connor, were present by invitation. It was stated that members of the committee had made an effort to obtain some definite information as to the authority under which the Lansdowne School had been taken over for emergency purposes. A protest had been made to the Hospital Board authorities, and their reply was not considered satisfactory from the point of view of the education of the children. While members of the committee were unanimous that in the case of a major emergency due to enemy action, no opposition of any sort would be worth while, the opinion was generally expressed that the disorganisation of the school, if only temporary, would result in serious disorder, and further it was held that no adequate accommodation in the Lansdowne area was available for teaching purposes. The committee decided to call an indignation meeting of parents and residents of the Lansdowne area to support the protest already made by the committee, and to ask the Government departments concerned to make alternative arrangements for an epidemic that might possibly occur among troops, and that in no case should the school be allowed to be occupied for hospital purposes short of an emergency arising from enemy action. It was stated that the building of a proposed annexe at the rear of the school, for emergency hospital purposes, would start tomorrow.